empty suit

Idioms & Phrases

empty suit

An unimportant person; also, a phony. For example, Don't pay any attention to himhe's just an empty suit, or She acts as though she knows what she's doing, but she's really an empty suit. This graphic expression calls up the image of an empty suit of clothes. [c. 1970]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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